The Five Strands of A Sedentary Empress

Pilfer, Pinch, Poach

It's Friday night, and I'm way past the dating phase in my relationship. A survey to eradicate the tedium.

1. Will you quit halfway through this?

Not likely. I'm not in the mood to read at the moment and there's nothing worthwhile on television.

2. Do you agree with the quote "It takes money to make money"?

Ordinarily, I'd say yes, because in order to make 'huge' money, you need to begin with something. That said, M's former in-laws became millionaires by practicing extreme conservatism with regard to their spending habits. The wife did not work, and the husband's job was an average paying one, but they had foresight and they also lacked scruples. They bought a home in an up and coming neighbourhood for a modest sum, and over the course of thirty odd years it became the most affluent area in town, pushing their home value into six figures. Also, they apparently would spend hours scouring newspapers for coupons and advertisements for sales so they could buy in bulk, and often they would buy clothing, leave the tags on, wear them, and then return them for a full refund. Essentially I think that the quote is true ninety per cent of the time, but the remainder is truly for the soulless and those who have nothing better to do.

3. Did dinosaurs and humans coexist?

The scientists say no, and frankly, they've got more to go on than the naysayers do. I vote no.

4.Do you think video games are bad for kids?

With the exception of the Wii, I absolutely think video games are bad for kids. Most of them are too violent, and frankly, I think it's having an effect on most kids attention spans, which is likely part of the problem with the widespread panic over ADD (regular readers know I don't completely buy the theory of ADD or ADHD). Tell me that there isn't a huge connection between childhood obesity, depression and some so-called learning issues with the growing addiction to video games and I'll tell you you're blind. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

5.Religiously speaking, homosexuality is a sin. Does that mean all homosexuals go to Hell?

No, and it's ludicrous to believe otherwise. My personal theory is that homosexuality is nature's way of controlling the population. It's just a theory, it's not like I've done any studies. I think, and have always thought, that you're born gay or you're born hetero. I don't have a problem with anyone in either group. Your sex life is just as private as mine is. It won't affect me one way or another.

6.Do you think it's a good idea that some cities have video cameras at every stop and corner of the city?

I actually think it's an okay idea. While it may not deter crimes from occurring, it certainly has the potential to help law enforcement identify and penalize those involved, as well as determining who is at fault in the event of an accident. There's nothing I would do on the street that I'd be worried about a camera capturing, so who cares? I feel that law-abiding citizens would only benefit from this in the long run. I'd love to see some studies on this to see if it affects crime at all, though.

7.Is home-schooling a good idea?

No. When I was younger, and having some social issues at school (as in, I hated all the kids in my class), I desperately wanted to be home-schooled. That said, I got a little older, found some people I had things in common with and developed some very important friendships. Had I been home-schooled, I'd likely have some major social issues now. In my experience, the kids who were home-schooled tended to come from families with some very stringent religious views, and this only served to alienate them. Also, having spoken with a counsellor for teenagers with violent sexual impulses, it is apparently believed that there is a connection between the development of violent sexual impulses and homeschooling. Some children reared in such an environment get confused when they begin to develop sexual impulses, having been controlled by their parents and hidden from the world beyond the yard. They have trouble distinguishing between these very normal, adolescent feelings and the rigid confines of their family structure in which they are never encouraged to develop socially. Though pedophilia is more commonly linked to childhood sexual abuse, there is definitely a link to homeschooling as well, and when I heard this from the counsellor, I was shocked to realize that a boy I know of who was recently convicted of buying child porn was also homeschooled. Coincidence?

Unfortunately, we live in a time of fear, and while homeschooling is usually done in order to protect the children, it has the potential to do the complete opposite in some cases.

8.Is questioning God a sin?

According to my former parish priest it is, but that didn't stop me from doing it. If I'm wrong to do it, I'm sorry, but if God is truly forgiving then I'm free and clear. The thing is, we live in a time of science and logic, and it's tough to believe without evidence to support a claim. I pray sometimes, and I hope and I think there's something going on, but I have a hard time accepting the whole Adam and Eve theory. In fact, I steadfastly reject it. I think if God is there, then He is responsible for the intelligence of humans, allowing them to search and discover and learn. How can there be sin in this then?

9."People are afraid of offending other people. It's gotten to the point where their afraid of having a point." Do you agree?

Yes, and I hate it. It's like this age of political correctness is crippling individual thought. While I don't condone offending people with archaic and bitter language, I also think that some people need to get a thicker skin and try to understand where the person speaking is coming from. It drives me nuts, how the media especially will take a simple statement and blow it out of context just so they can stir up trouble. I think most of us are smart enough to understand what most people are getting at, and it's the troublemakers who go looking for ill intent in otherwise benign statements. Sometimes I think it's an inferiority complex which compels people to go looking for drama in another's personal opinion, and this is frequently more insulting than what was said in the first place. Also, if we're so into freedom of speech in these parts, shouldn't we be free to exercise that right without someone dissolving into a fit of tears?

At the end of the day, it's all about tact. Think before you speak, consider everyone's feelings and be true to yourself. It's really quite simple.

10.How would you punish? If you had kids?
I have a kid, and for me the best way to get a desired behaviour is to set limits and stick to them. I grew up in a house of spanking and strangely, I do not have that impulse with my little one (so far). If she is bad, she goes to her room, and I don't bother with 'time outs' or any of that nonsense. She's in there for as long as I think it takes for her to consider what she's done, and then we talk about it afterward so that I'm sure she understands why she was punished. People make the mistake of thinking that children are essentially morons, which is moronic in itself. They love discipline in their own way, and they are capable of understanding it. I am often complimented on how well-behaved my wee one is, and I know it's because she is treated like a person, not an adorable idiot. Reason works with her, I'm lucky.

11.Should kids be allowed to answer controversial questions in high school?

If it's part of an intelligent discussion with someone who is capable of answering the questions properly.

12.Do you think there was some "good" in Hitler?

I think he was insane, and that he was very good at using a psychopath's charm to further his delusional cause. Does that make all the people who revered him evil? What does it say about humans as a whole that there are and were so many leaders just like Hitler who are adored and obeyed without question? This would allude to a bit of evil in everyone, no? But, the question is, was there 'good' in Hitler? I think there is both good and evil in everyone, but his evil metastasized until it completely destroyed whatever good there may have been in him. He didn't come out of a box like that.

13.Should people be required to dress modestly for church?

I think dressing respectfully is just a sign of common courtesy, church or not.

14.Is police brutality "race biased"?

From what I've seen and heard, yes.

15.Can virgins have babies?

Yes.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/975.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=127

Plus, my sister had a friend in high school who got pregnant without actual intercourse. It was a case of sperm finding its way into the vagina from a session of incredibly effective genital to genital friction. We cruelly called the girl 'Virgin Mary' for as long as she stayed in school. Talk about defying the odds. Anyway, it's exceedingly rare, but it happens.

16.Why is it that we use the term "African American" when most blacks in America are not from Africa?

I have to admit that I used to identify myself as 'Irish', even though I wasn't born there. I think a lot of people do this, try to associate with the 'motherland' because it lends to a sense of identity in a country where there are so many cultures thrown together. I'm over it, though, because I'm Canadian, as in, I was born here. I check 'Caucasian' on all the appropriate forms. I say go with American first, check the 'Black' box if necessary and be done with it. Whether or not you are African, Irish or some other nationality in your background, you're essentially the country you claim as your own in the present.

17.Should they cut funding to the space shuttle funding?
I think so, given that there so many issues to be dealt with on this planet. What exactly are we going to do with all the data on space travel so far? What are we looking for, exactly? It's cool and all, but it's not serving any kind of immediate purpose, so put it on hold until the more pressing issues are dealt with, then send more excited cosmic cowboys into orbit.

18.What do you think of 2012?
I'm sure there is supposed to be some kind of significance to this question, but I don't know what it is.

19.Do you think the UN should send investigators to Area-51, just like they were sent to Iraq, and North Korea?
I have to admit that I am curious.

20.Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?
Not afraid. I anticipate differing opinions on most of my more opinionated entries, but that's healthy, no? I think I only get annoyed when someone misinterprets something I write/say when the meaning was obvious from the beginning. Other than that, I find mature discussion to be kind of stimulating.

21.Why do most religious people assume everything they've been taught is flawless?
Because to question something in religious doctrine raises doubt, and doubt breeds fear. I think a lot of people hold on to religion because without it, they don't know who they are. I've gone through my own crisis of faith and I have to say it was a huge drag, but I didn't live in a society where admitting it would bring me harm. I am still trying to figure things out, but I am enjoying the learning process and it matters to me less and less what people think of me while I do it.

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My stomach hurts, but it has nothing to do with the survey, honest.